Koopa's Personal Journal

Real Life Superheroes

I was channel surfing earlier this morning, when I came across Superheroeson HBO. I was not even going to watch it at first, since I thought it was fake, or a parody of some sort. Turns out that it was a documentary of real life “superheroes”. These are people who wanted to make a drastic change in their neighborhood, and figured that being superheroes is the way to do it. Here is a few clips I found in, where else, the HBO website.

They all wear costumes, and that was the one thing that struck me as peculiar. I was thinking “wouldn’t they be too conspicuous or awkward looking that crooks will see them a mile away, or that the people they’re trying to help will get scared of them too?”.

Superheroes from Brooklyn

Most of them, if not all, are inspired by comic book superheroes. They want to emulate what their heroes have done, and want to bring peace and order to our society. I would admit that I don’t fully trust our police, but this is bordering on dangerous and suicidal. They do not have weapons or protective armor, whatsoever. But I still personally think that we need to have vigilante groups in the Philippines. Although they do not need to wear a costume like this, and they need to be fully equipped. The Philippine police has a reputation of a bumbling, idiotic and thieving group, and recent headlines has not helped that. Most of the Filipinos no longer trust their police force, knowing that the next mugger or house invader may well be another cop, using his or her position, and service firearm, to endanger and rob people of their hard earned money and belongings.

Not long ago, I had a chance encounter with a group of pickpockets in a public bus. Their MO was to block the way of any passenger who attempts to get off the bus, and then in the confusion, pick the poor victim’s pockets clean, using their bodies and backpacks as a cover. This happened twice in one bus, in front of me. I had the bystander effect, wanting to do something, but fearing for my life, and seeing that no one in the bus seemed to notice or pretending not to notice, I stayed put. I was thinking that they may easily kill me, and no one will testify in court.